CNN TEN - 01/05/17

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Welcome to our very first production of CNN 10! Our international coverage explains the latest rift between the U.S. and Russia as well as the reasons for tensions between the U.S. and Israel. After 10 seconds of trivia, we're showing you what it's like to be a freshman in the new Congress, and after a report on the social media "filter bubble," we're showing you a walking robot that's truly 10 out of 10.

On this page you will find today's show Transcript.

TRANSCRIPT

CARL AZUZ, CNN TEN ANCHOR: We are thrilled to bring you are our first ever

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production of CNN TEN, a new 10-minute program that explains global news to

our global audience. My name is Carl Azuz.

And we are starting today by explaining the latest rift in the strain

relations between the U.S. and Russia.

For months, the Obama administration has accused Russia of interfering in

last year`s U.S. presidential election. More recently, it said Russia did

this to help incoming President Donald Trump get elected.

So, over the holidays, the U.S. government sanctioned, it penalized some

Russian intelligence services, some officers that work for them and three

companies that helped support Russian intelligence. America also closed

two Russian compounds and expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S.

So, how did Russia respond? Its president, Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly

denied interfering in the American election. He said he would not, quote,

"stoop to the level of irresponsible diplomacy" that he`d allow American

diplomats to stay in Russia and that he`d be working to rebuild relations

with the U.S. after President-elect Trump is inaugurated.

A lot of different perspectives on all this. The head of WikiLeaks, which

published millions of hacked U.S. documents, said they did not come from

the Russian government. Critics, including President-elect Trump, have

said there`s not enough proof the Russian government was behind the hacks.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan called the U.S. sanctions on Russia overdue

but said they were an appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy

with Russia. And Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said the

sanctions don`t punish Russia enough.

There`s also trouble in the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, an

American ally in the Middle East. On December 23rd, the United Nations

Security Council passed a resolution. It says that Israel is breaking the

law by building settlements on land it captured and claimed as its own

during a war in 1967.

The U.S. usually vetoes resolutions like this because it sees them as

overly critical of Israel. But in this case, the U.S. abstained. It

didn`t vote. That allowed the U.N. resolution to pass when 14 other

members of the council voted for it.

The resolution itself is mostly symbolic. It doesn`t penalized

international trade or cooperation with Israel. But it makes a statement

that infuriated Israel, which has accuses the Obama administration of

secretly supporting the resolution. The U.S. government denies, but all

this has deepened the divide between America and Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As a rule, settlements are Jewish-only

communities that are on Israel occupied land that the Palestinians had

hoped to use as a future state. And one of the sticking points here is

that the Palestinians feel like their land as been stolen and also that it

stops them from having a contiguous or continuous area to call their own

state.

The Israelis say, "Look, some of this land is historically ours. Some of

this land is politically ours." And also, they`re using some of the land

for security purposes.

All in all, this is one of the sticking points in the process and one of

the things that Secretary Kerry has tried to undo. But now, the gloves are

off. Because of this U.N. resolution in particular, the Security Council

resolution 2334, you are seeing the reaction from Israel, especially Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was furious over this resolution and

basically slapped Israel`s hand and said that they are breaking

international law by putting those settlements in place.

And then we heard from Secretary John Kerry who talked about the fact that

he believes that this is a real sticking point, a real problem in trying to

go forward in a peace process.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia. What part of the U.S. Constitution

says congressional terms start on January 3rd? Article IV, the 14th

Amendment or the 20th Amendment?

It`s the 20th Amendment that sets January 3rd as Congress` start date

unless the Congress changes the date by law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: And it was the 115th U.S. Congress that was sworn in on Tuesday.

Of the 100-member Senate, 52 are Republicans, 48 are Democrats, that

includes two independents who vote with the Democrats.

Of the 435 voting members of the House of Representatives, 241 are

Republicans, 194 are Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Do you solemnly swear that

you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against

all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and

allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any

mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well and

faithfully discharge the duties of the office in which you are about to

enter, so help you God?

MEMBER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: I do.

RYAN: Congratulations. You are all now members of the 115th Congress.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: That`s what`s like to be sworn in to Congress.

Now for a look at what it`s like to be there for the first time. There are

seven freshmen senators this term and 55 freshmen representatives. Here

are two of them, along with their mutual hopes to work together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JACK BERGMAN (R), MICHIGAN: I am Jack Bergman, and I am the new

freshman congressman from the first district of Michigan.

REP. VAL BUTLER DEMINGS (D), FLORIDA: I am Val Butler Demings,

representing Florida`s 10th congressional district, from Orlando. And I am

a new member of Congress.

SUBTITLE: One Republican, one Democrat, one mission.

There are 54 new "freshmen" members of the House who started work on

January 3rd.

The two are also co-class presidents. Val Demings is a retired police

chief, and Jack Bergman, a retired lieutenant general in the Marine Corps.

BERGMAN: People like us are sitting here today in these new freshmen

congressmen roles, because the people who vote said they want to see

something happen, different than what has been happening here in

Washington, D.C. in the recent past. I believe that`s why folks like Val

and I got elected.

DEMINGS: Many times, we only focus on our differences, and not our

similarities. And I believe it was a major moment for us to begin there,

not leading with our party. I didn`t go through what I went through the

last two years and did put my family through it to get here and do nothing.

The only way we`re going to be able to get some things done is to work

together.

BERGMAN: Together, that`s how the Founding Fathers imagined it and that`s

how it needs to be.

We`re only going to be a freshman once, and if we don`t take advantage as a

freshmen class, Dems and Republicans, to begin to make our mark in this

115th Congress, then we have missed an opportunity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Strictly defined, an echo chamber is a room where the walls reflect

Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published.

CNN 10 serves a growing audience interested in compact on-demand news broadcasts ideal for explanation seekers on the go or in the classroom. The show's priority is to identify stories of international significance and then clearly describe why they're making news, who is affected, and how the events fit into a complex, international society.